Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, state-run media reported, as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and terror links.
CHP MP and Group Deputy Chairman Gökhan Günaydın shared a message on his social media account, saying: "As of now, 20 vehicles full of law enforcement have arrived at Ekrem Imamoğlu’s house."
Imamoğlu himself posted a video on Wednesday morning just before his arrest. The caption reads "A blow to the will of the nation".
In the message, the mayor of Istanbul said: "A handful of minds trying to usurp the will of our nation have used my beloved police officers as instruments of this evil and have gathered hundreds of police officers at the doors of the homes of 16 million of citizens. We are faced with great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not give up. I love you all very much. I entrust myself to my nation. I will continue to fight against that person and his mind that uses this entire process as an apparatus."